8+ Kid-Friendly Areas to Visit at the San Diego County Fair

Written By Kelly S

Last week we kicked off our summer by heading to Opening Day at the 2025 San Diego County Fair.

My husband and I used to go to the San Diego County Fair every summer when we lived nearby, so even though we don’t live in San Diego anymore, we were delighted when they reached out and invited us to attend the fair with our kids!

When you think of a county fair you probably think of food and rides, and of course, the San Diego County Fair has those!

But there’s so much more to do too, from family-friendly shows to children’s play areas to animals to visit, and those are the parts I was most excited about!

Here’s all the info on 8 places you won’t want to miss at the 2025 San Diego County Fair…. Bonus points, none of the activities listed below cost extra! (Just your admission ticket).

I’ve divided this list up by color according to the Fair map so you can plan your day accordingly!

Blue section on map

We didn’t get to this area till we were exiting, and by then we were all pretty tired. Next time, we’d go here first as soon as we entered the fair!

If you enter at the Main Entrance called “O’Brien Gate,” this will be to the left after you go through security.

Paul Ecke Jr. Garden Show - I couldn’t be “SoCal Nature Kids” and skip recommending this part, right? This outdoor exhibit features small gardens that different community groups have designed and planted at the fair. They’re fun to look at with kids… don’t miss the model train! I believe they do a ladybug release at 12pm and 3pm here too.

Pretend Grocery Store at Farm 2U Exhibit - in the building right next to the Garden Show, there’s a little pretend grocery store hosted by the San Diego Food Bank, I believe. They have little shopping carts (and a huge one!) where little ones can go shopping. They also do some demonstrations in this area, and the flowers are worth a peek at too.

Unfortunately we never made it further back into this section, but I’d love to visit the Home Arts and Hobbies Student Showcase next time around.

Yellow/Orange Section on Map

Pets Rock - Live on Tour - Theme Exhibit - My understanding is that this area changes every year based on the theme of the fair for that year. This pet area was so cute and educational! They have a pretend play veterinarian area, places where you can see and pet real animals, and lots of educational info on pet adoption and treating animals well. It’s definitely worth stopping by (even if your kids are like mine and spend the next week trying to convince you to adopt a dog!)

Livestock Barn - Stop in here to see horses, goats, sheep, and more in the two Livestock Barns. This reminded us of the picture book County Fair by Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Green Section on Map

These final 4 spots are all located around Family Funville (the green part on the map).

Stunt Dog Show - officially called The Perondis’ All-Star Stunt Dog Show, this was fun and featured impressive dogs doing cool tricks! One of my sons was called up as a volunteer which was extra special for us. This is located in Family Funville near the Tunnel that leads to the Fun Zone (grown-up ride area) and runs at 1pm, 3pm, and 5:30pm daily.

Flying Royals - this show was my personal favorite part of the whole fair. They do a variety of circus acts (no animals involved), from slack line juggling to riding a unicycle, but the finale trapeze is worth sticking around for! This is located near Fairview Farms/The Kids Zone where all the kids rides are, and shows run at 1:30pm, 5pm, and 8pm daily.

Pet the therapy dogs - there are volunteers with therapy dogs located in the “pet pavilion” at Family Funville and they were so sweet and calm. The perfect stop in the midst of the hubbub of the busy fair!

Fairview Farm - When we visited, this area was pretty empty, which made it so peaceful and pleasant to walk around. They have a pretend play area where children can collect “eggs” from the henhouse and gather fruit, along with some shows and demonstrations throughout the day. (The corn shucking competition sounded fun!) This is right next to the Flying Royals trapeze show in Family Funville.

Planning Your Day at the San Diego County Fair:

We did our day differently, but if I were going again, here’s what we would do, in this general order:

  • the blue section (garden show and Farm 2U)

  • then the yellow/orange section (pet exhibit + livestock)

  • then the green section - “Family Funville” (Stunt Dog Show, Flying Royals, Fairview Farm, and Pet Therapy Dogs).

Then we’d have some food and maybe do some rides/games in the Kids Zone by Family Funville (or maybe the Fun Zone - pink part on the map - but that part felt pretty loud/overwhelming for little ones!)

Then if we still had more time, we might wander through the Red area on the map, which has a nice courtyard and remarkable exhibits about wood! (I just noticed that the Mission Tower has a gem exhibit, which sounds cool too!)

For more info on the San Diego County Fair:

Kelly S
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